Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities Announces Annual Employment Awards

ARLINGTON – The Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities today announced the winners of the 2008 Employment Awards. Employers and organizations are recognized based on excellence in hiring practice and contributions to the employment and empowerment of disabled Texans.

“Texas is committed to ensuring that all of our citizens have fair opportunities to work and make a living,” Gov. Perry said. “I commend this year’s Employment Award recipients for their contributions in the work place and for striving to keep Texas’ workforce fair and open to all.”

The 2008 award recipients are:

Governor's Trophy – David Ondich, ADA Coordinator for the City of Fort Worth
Large Employer of the Year – Walgreen’s Company, Waxahachie Distribution Center
Medium Employer of the Year – HEB Store #11, Austin
Small Employer of the Year – Computers Made Easy, Fort Worth  
Entrepreneurship Award – Terry Shimazu, Austin, musical performer
Martha Arbuckle Award - Austin Mayor’s Committee on People with Disabilities

Nearly 13,000 Texans with disabilities have found employment with the assistance of the Texas Workforce Commission and Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services in the past year.  Efforts to improve workplace accessibility have been successful, with more than 97,000 building projects certified by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation as complying with Texas accessibility standards in the past 15 years.  Additionally, the Texas Accessibility Academy meets nine times a year to certify Registered Accessibility Specialists to consult with public and private businesses.

The Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities consists of 12 members, seven of whom must be people with disabilities, and representatives from the Texas Rehabilitation Commission, Texas Commission for the Blind, Texas Workforce Commission, Texas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.  The committee promotes compliance with disability laws, recommends policy changes and supports local committees with similar purposes.

The committee has distributed the awards in October since 1979, in coordination with National Disability Awareness Month. The governor has declared October Disability Employment Awareness month in Texas.

For more information about the committee or awards, please visit http://www.governor.state.tx.us/disabilities/.